Voicestarz wants to be heard

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Jan. 07, 2002

By Chris Marlowe

With "Shrek," "Monsters, Inc." and other animated films foremost in the minds of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, this could be a propitious time for the launch of a company devoted to nurturing voice-over talent.

Or at least one new com-pany, Voicestarz, sure hopes so.

It has brought together some of the best-known names in the voice-over business to educate and mentor anyone who aspires to do what they do.

Voicestarz president and CEO Craig Strong said the idea came to him when he was looking through his wife's fan mail -- Tara Strong can be heard in Nickelodeon's "The Rugrats" as Baby Dil, Cartoon Network's "The Powerpuff Girls" as Bubbles, Warner Bros.' "Batman: The Animated Series" as Batgirl and the Walt Disney Co.'s feature-length "The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea" as Melody.

"Much of Tara's mail was asking how to do these voices, how did you get so good at it and other questions like that," Strong said. "So we put up a little entertaining site answering them and got thousands of visits. That made us realize that we should probably go pro with it."

Accordingly, he persuaded many working professionals to contribute their experience and advice, then put together a formal package of teaching and mentoring activities.

After an introductory price of $149, the Voicestarz package will cost $179. That includes materials and member privileges for one year, with renewals significantly less expensive.

Craig Strong declined to give details of the business relationship between Voicestarz and its professional contributors except to say that they were attracted by the opportunity to nurture new talent while raising their own profiles. And money was not the primary motivation. "They all want to contribute to the animation industry," he said.

The classes are on CD-ROM and include 15 multimedia chapters that cover all aspects of voice-over work, including character development, microphone technique, breathing, auditioning, agent relationships and Screen Actors Guild matters.

Besides Tara Strong, the participating talents include E.G. Daily (Tommy Pickles in the "Rugrats" franchise, Buttercup in "Powerpuff Girls"), Tom Kenny (the title character in "SpongeBob SquarePants"), Billy West (both title characters in "The Ren and Stimpy Show," Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd in "Space Jam") and Susan Egan (Meg in Disney's "Hercules").

Craig McCracken, creator of "Powerpuff Girls," and Butch Hartman, creator and director of "OddParents," provide insights into what they're looking for in voice actors.

The perspectives of directors and casting directors are given by Andrea Romano ("Batman Beyond," "Animaniacs"), Collette Sunderman ("Powerpuff Girls," "The Scooby-Doo Movies") and Susan Blu ("Clifford the Big Red Dog").

Participating agents include Paul Doherty (CED), Sandy Schnarr (Sandy Schnarr Agency) and Wes Stevens (Talent Group Inc.). Todd Amorde, director of special projects at SAG, provides information about the union.

The classes are augmented with online activities and via a newsletter. Questions will be answered, and there are scheduled live chats with professionals working in the field. Scripts and drawings can be downloaded that students can use to create an audition, which can then be submitted for critique, and in the near future Voicestarz will host demo reels posted by its students.